Peanut Butter Marmalade

Above: a compilation of friends, new and old

 

This past week, I went to Paris and it really gave me an appetite for watching the movie Ratatouille (a very American reaction to Paris, I know). The movie is about a lot of things. The most obvious themes are the importance of art and that art can come from anywhere. This time around though, the side plot between Remy and his dad particularly struck a chord with me. Remy does not want to live the life of a rat. He wants to cook like humans do, but being a rat, he cannot pass as a human. It highlights his perceived absence of identity as neither rat nor human, and a tug-of-war between Remy’s origins and his current status in life. Can he really be both things at once? Just before leaving America, I felt like there was something outside small-town life that I was missing. I didn’t exactly know what it was, but I thought that before I went on with my life, I needed to know if there was anything out there that I’d need to be “more fulfilled.” I thought, what if on the off-chance I have a “Remy moment?” The strange part of it was though, that unlike Remy, the life I was currently living made me anything but unhappy. I knew how joyful teaching makes me, how passionate I am about literature, how satisfied I would be working with kids the rest of my life and how great of friends and teachers I have. As it turns out though, there was something I was lacking. I was missing the thing that Ratatouille’s hardened critic, Anton Ego, so desperately craved: perspective. Yes, I have experienced an innumerable about of blessings abroad, but to me, the biggest of those, was the realization that I already have everything I need.

All that said, the experience of studying abroad is one that I would recommend to anyone who has the chance. It was a roller coaster. Before you go, you think you’ll never want to leave. When you get there, you want to leave as soon as possible. About a month in, you don’t ever want to leave. Then finally, you get to where I am now– a strange amalgamation of the two feelings, that doesn’t feel divided half and half, but like you’re fully committed to both ideas. Though, I suppose (to incorporate one final Ratatouille parallel) that is why Remy opened his restaurant to both humans and rats, to bring a slice of what he’s learned back to where he started. So what will I bring back home? Well for one, as much food as I can fit in my bag. I’ve grown very attached to marmalade, although I was initially turned off by the fact that it tastes more like orange rinds than it does the actually good part of the orange. Recently, I’ve been eating it on a peanut butter sandwich. Mind you, British people don’t eat peanut butter and jelly. So a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich might be a creation specific only to Americans living in the U.K.  I will most likely start to call dudes “blokes” and say “cheeky” less and less ironically. I think, more significantly for me, I won’t be so terrified of finances. Being abroad really forces you to be careful with every cent (pence) you spend. I’m proud of facing up to my fear of money and being intentional about budgeting. That said, I threw a lot of pointless dollars down the drain: missing a train, missing a flight, falling for tourist scams, booking tickets to an ABBA show thinking that the real ABBA would be there (it showed their faces on the poster!!). I’m actually embarrassed to say out loud the dollar amount of ill-spent money. So if there is anything I would have done differently, it would be to always make sure to know the exact details of what I’m purchasing; and on top of that, that I arrive to whatever I have booked with plenty of time to spare. The public transportation is not consistent. If you are making a trip into central London, give yourself at the very least 30 minutes of extra time and have alternate routes in mind.

To any students who know they are studying abroad, I pray the Lord’s blessings on your trip. Hopefully, you see his hand throughout your trip as much as I did. Find a church (if you are going to Roehampton, Community Church in Putney is super close and welcoming), find like-minded Christians, find community service opportunities, and speak openly about your faith to those who aren’t like-minded. Doing this has allowed me to witness some really special lightbulb moments. The best feeling is to hear them coming back to you with questions about the Bible and having the privilege to answer them. From my experience, I have actually felt less alienated expressing my faith to unbelievers here than I have in America, because Americans are just so darn stubborn. As one final piece of advice, go easy on yourself. Your self esteem is really going to be tested after every stupid purchase, every time you looked like a dumb American in public, and every time you feel alone. Take a deep breath. Call your mom. Eat a comfort food. Watch the American Office. But also know that it’s important to be uncomfortable sometimes. Watch an episode of the British Office instead. Take a solo trip to Scotland. Try haggis. Get invested in Royal Family drama. Go in eating peanut butter and jelly and out eating peanut butter and marmalade.

I can’t wait to see you all on campus again!

Blessings, Joe.